Reading is a complex task requiring good vision and some complex processing in the brain. Reading difficulties may be caused by the way information is “processed” by the brain- a condition referred to as dyslexia. If you think your child may have dyslexia, the first step is to speak to their teacher or their school’s special needs coordinator (SENCO) about your concerns. They may be able to arrange for an assessment and if the diagnosis is confirmed, they may be able to offer additional support. In some cases, reading difficulties can be caused by vision problems such as long-sightedness, astigmatism or problems coordinating the eyes. This can be ruled out by having your child’s eyes examined by one of our Optometrists. Whilst eye tests are provided free via the NHS for children under the age of 16, ReadEZ assessments and appliances are NOT funded by the NHS, a list of charges can be found at the bottom of the page.
If having ruled out dyslexia and checked that your child’s eyes are healthy, your child is still having problems reading, they might be one of the 20% of the population who suffers from a condition known as Visual Stress. Visual Stress is thought to be caused by hyperactivity of certain groups of cells in the brain. This causes discomfort while looking at stripy patterns including rows of text. Sufferers often report that the words appear to move, wobble or flicker and sometimes complain of eye strain or headaches after reading. The good news is that the symptoms can often be reduced by using a coloured overlay, coloured lenses or by changing the background colour of the screen or tablet that they are looking at.
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The ReadEZ Screening System is designed for optometrists involved with the diagnosis and management of Visual Stress. The ReadEZ Screening Software simulates the effects of coloured overlays and spectacles by changing the background colour of the screen. To determine the optimum colour, a sample of text is displayed on the screen while the colour of the background is changed systematically. The observer is asked to report which colour is most comfortable or minimises their symptoms. The effectiveness of the colours is assessed using a test devised by Professor Wilkins known as the Rate of Reading.
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ReadEZ Overlays are available in 12 colours. The colours have been carefully chosen by a team of vision experts to provide the optimum saturation (colourfulness) and transmittance (darkness) to minimise the symptoms of Visual Stress. The overlays themselves are made of durable acetate and come as A5 sheets making them ideal for reading pages of any size.
When you use an overlay, only a small part of your visual field is coloured whereas when you look through a coloured lens, everything you see is coloured and the eye tends to adapt the colour. This means that the preferred colour for a coloured lens is sometimes different to the preferred colour for an overlay. If you already use an overlay, you should ask us to assess you for the optimum colour for a tinted lens.
ReadEZ Spectacles are available in 12 colours. The colours have been carefully chosen by a team of vision experts to provide the optimum saturation (colourfulness) and transmittance (darkness) to minimise the symptoms of Meares-Irlen syndrome. If you wear prescription spectacles, you can speak to us about ordering spectacles with a ReadEZ tint.
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ReadEZ Overlay Assessment
ReadEZ Spectacle Assessment ReadEZ Overlay Sheet ReadEZ Tint to CR39 Prescription Lenses ReadEZ Tint to CR39 Plano Lenses |
£30.00
£30.00 £5.00 £30.00 (if lenses are funded by the NHS) £75.00 (not funded by the NHS) |